Mechanical music-sheet.



PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

I. C. WHITE. MECHANICAL MUSIC SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1903.

2 SHEETB-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

dwwy

No. 759,575. I I PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. F. 0. WHITE.

MECHANICAL MUSIC SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1a, 1903.

no 110mm. 2 snnmssnnm 2.

dug-leader, thereby rendering the bass or Patented May 10, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK 0. WHITE, or MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

MECHANICAL MUSIC-SHEET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,575, dated May 10,1904.

Application filed May 18, 1903. Serial No. 157,562. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- v

Be it known that I, FRANK (J. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Meriden,

in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented newand useful Improvements in Mechanical Music-Sheets, of which thefollowing, together with the accompanyin g drawings, is a specificationsufliciently full, clear, and exact to enable persons skilled in the artto which this invention appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in perforated music ofthe class employed for autopneumatic music-playing attachments ormechanical musical instruments comprising series of pneumatic actionsand a pneumatic tracker over which the music is passed as acontrolling-valve in well-known manner.

In some constructions of automatic pianoplayers or pneumaticallyoperated musicplaying instruments the series of pneumatic actions areseparated into a plurality of divisions by a partition or dividing meanswithin the wind-chest, air-supply chamber, or flushlower-register seriespractically independent in operation from the treble or upper-registerportion, while each separate division is provided with accentuationdevices or expression-controlling means pertaining solely to itsrespective division, but capable of being manipulated by anactuating-stop independently or in certain relations with each other. Inpractice the division is found to be quite satisfactory when placedbetween notes E and F above middle 0; but it is not in all instancesconfined to that particular position, and the partition or dividingmeans may be located at any desirable position higher or lower in thescale.

In musical compositions the melody-notes or notes to be accented mayoccur in that part of the scale which pertains to the lowerregisterdivision or in that part that pertains to the upper register division,the melody running from one side to the other, and .vice versa, of thedivision-point in the scale.

The object of my present invention is to provide a perforated musicsheet, roll, or strip having upon its face a visible demarcation orindicating means to show the division of the scale of perforations forupper and lower register notes to correspond with the division in thepneumatic action on which said sheet is to be used.

Another object is to provide a perforated music sheet, roll, or stripwith a longitudinal line or color delineation upon its face indicativelydividing or separating the respective portions of the scale ofnote-perforations pertaining to the bass and treble registers and alsowith means for designating melody-notes where they occur adjacent to orat the opposite side of such dividing-line for enabling the operator toreadily perceive the course of the melody-notes and at which side of thedivision the particular accentuation is to be effected.

The nature of this invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 represents a plan view of a sheet or roll ofperforated music embodying my improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 representportions of the music-sheet, showing modified features of the inventionwhich are hereinafter more fully explained.

Referring to the drawings, A denotes the paper strip, roll, ormusic-sheet fabric, which may beof the usually-employed material andprovided with note-perforations formed therein in the usual or anysuitable manner and representing any desired tune or musicalcomposition.

O indicates the spool for containing the rolled music-sheet.

D indicates the winding or draft roll of the music-playing instrument ormechanism, and F the tracker, over which the music-sheet is passed forcontrolling the performance of the playing actions, as will be fullyunderstood by those conversant with the art withoutfurther descriptionof the playing instrument or operating mechanism.

Upon the face of the music-sheet A in accordance with my invention 1provide a division-indicating line or delineation 5, of ink or color,marking in relation to the scale of note-perforations a positioncorresponding to the place at which the action-scale in an automaticmusic-playing instrument is divided for upper and lower registers by thepartition in the wind-chest, air-supply chamber, or flushing-leader,which separate division of the action mechanism are provided withindividual accentuation devices or stops, as heretofore practiced.

The line 5 or delineation upon the musicsheet is direct from end to endof the piece and separates the field 6 of perforations, which pertain tothe bass register or division, from the field 7 of perforations, whichpertain to the treble register or division, and shows to the performerat all times the relation of any of the note-perforations to thedivisional line 5.

Of the melody-notes m or notes which require to be accented to giveexpression or character to the music the treble melodynotes frequentlyrun into the bass register, or vice versa. here the melody-notes m aresituated near the center of the music-sheet or division-line 5, Iprovide such melody-notes with a visible distinguishing-mark a of theform shown, or other suitably-displayed form, printed or delineated uponthe sheet in connection with or adjacent to the respective melody-noteperforations to tell the operator where the melody crosses thedivisionline into the opposite register-division and becomes subject tothe other accentuation system. These marks 91/ clearly indicate themclody-perforations from the general accompaniment perforations 3 andcan be easily seen, in conjunction with the longitudinal demarcation 5,as the sheet A passes from the spool G to the tracker F and winding-rollI). The markings for the individual melody or accent-note perforations710 0311, when desired, be of varied character or made in a manner toindicate by the nature or character of the mark whether the particularnote pertains to the bass or treble side of the division. An instance ofthis nature is illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the melody-notes coming onthe treble side havea T-marking, as at 9, and those coming on the bassside have a B-marking, as at 10, so that the individual mark in itselftells the operator to which division the particular note-perforationpertains.

\Nhile I prefer for indicating the division a simple longitudinal line5, 1 have in Fig. 2 shown a modification wherein the longitudinaldivision is delineated on the music-sheet by a broad surface ofcontrasting color 55, covering all or a determined portion of onehalf ofthe music-sheet, the divisional limit 5 being at the edge of the fieldof color. The perforations pertaining to the wiper-register division arein the uneolored field, while those pertaining to the lower-registerdivision are in the colored iield, or vice versa, if the deeper color isapplied to the right-hand side of the music-sheet instead of theleft-hand side.

\Vhen using this improved music-sheet, the

dividing-line and marked melody-notes can always be seen slightly inadvance of the trackerinouthpiece, thus allowing the operator to anticipate the expression before the note reaches the opening, so thatevery melodynote, whether in the bass or treble division, can bedetermined, and no melody-note need be lost from the expression owing toits crossing into the other register or division and the operatormisapplying the expression-stops.

It is well known that certain letters have heretofore'been placed uponthe border of a music-sheet to indicate the places for pianissimo,forte, and expressions of that class, also that irregular lines orchains of dots have been used thereon as a guide for the hand in themovement of a controlling-lever. Hence it will be understood that I donot herein claim such previously-employed means; but my invention hasreference to the peculiar features of improvement set forth, and delinedin the claims' NV hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A perforated music-sheet for mechanical musical instruments whereintheir pneumatic system or action mechanisms are separated or divided atan intermediate position in the music-scale; said music-sheet havingupon its face a division-indicating means comprising a continuedstraight alinement-marking, disposed intermedial in the regular scale ofnoteperforations, coincident with and following, throughout the lengthof the piece, the predetermined interval of the scale at which thedivision occurs, and indicating the relation of the adjacentnetc-perforations, along the sheet, to such predetermined point ofdivision in the music-scale, for the purpose set forth.

2. A music-sheet for mechanical musical instruments, wherein upper andlower register actions are separated by a dividing means at anintermediate point in the music-scale; said music-sheet consisting of aroll or strip of paper perforated for music-notes, and having upon itsface a continuous undeviating visible demarcation distinguishing theseparatingpoint for the upper and lower register noteperforations,longitudinally throughout the sheet at a position thereon correspondingto the register-division of the music-scale.

3. A roll or strip of perforated music, having a longitudinal line uponits face running from end to end thereof between the perforations thatpertain to the bass-register and the perforations that pertain to thetreble-register.

4:. A perforated musicsheet divided approximately midway of its scaleand intermediate to determined note-perforations of the scale, by astraight longitudinal line extending direct from end to end of theperforated portion of the sheet, and located in relation to the variousnote-perforations continually coincident with a predetermined point ofdivision in the music-playing scale, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. A perforated music-sheet having the fields of its note-perforations,which pertain to the treble and bass portions, indicatively separatedand distinguished by a contrasting delineation of color upon theseparate fields and extending longitudinally throughout the full lengthof the sheet.

6. A perforated music-sheet having thereon a line indicating a positionbetween the perforations that corresponds with a predeterminedaccentuation division of the musicscale; and provided withindicating-marks for distinguishing the melody-notes that occur near oradjacent to said line.

7 A roll or strip of perforated music-paper having delineated upon itsface a longitudinal line marking a division between portions thereof,and having the melody-note perforations in the vicinity of said lineindividually distinguished from the accompaniment noteperforations by anindicating-mark to show to which division said melody-note pertains,said mark printed or delineated upon the sheet adjacent to therespective melody-note perforations.

8. A roll or sheet of perforated music adapted for music-playinginstruments having separated divisions in their action-scale for thetreble and bass portions thereof; said musicsheet provided with adivision-indicating longitudinal line, and having its melody-noteperforations that occur in the vicinity of the division individuallyprovided with a distinguishing-mark delineated upon the sheet, thenature or character of the marks being varied for designating whetherthe actions to which such note-perforations pertain are in thetreble orbass division.

Witness my hand this 14th day of May, 1903.

FRANK 0. WHITE.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE L. PIERCE, A. G. KUHNLE.

